Too much sugar can damage your brain, study

A study suggests that a high-fructose(sugars derived from sugar cane) diet slows down brain functions, and disrupts your memory and learning.
“Attention, college students cramming between midterms and finals: Binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may make you stupid,” says the study published on EarthSky.com

But the study also reveals that the effects of sweets can be negated by eating foods containing omega-3 fatty acids – these includes walnuts, salmon, flax seeds and sardines.

The study, led by neuroscientist Fernando Gomez-Pinilla at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), focused on corn syrup, a high-fructose liquid used on many processed foods such as soft drinks, condiments and baby food.

The study was conducted on two groups of rats first trained on a maze fed on regular food twice daily for five days. Then they were switched on a high-fructose diet for six weeks. One group were also fed with omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are known to protect the brain cells against damage to synapses — the chemical connections between brain cells that enable memory and learning.

After their experimental diet for six weeks, the rats were then tested on the mazes again. Results show that the rats fed on fructose without the supplement of omega-3 fatty acids were slower at completing the maze, and their brain cells had difficulty in sending signals to each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to recall the maze.

This means what we eat greatly affects our brain functions, and high-fructose diet is not advisable for everyone, especially to kids whose brains are still developing.